Announced to much fanfare last week, the Mariners received local council approval for the $40 million sporting complex, hotel and licensed club complex.

The A-League club are now sole owner of the 16ha site which over time will become a state-of-the-art training base.

The complex is set to include…

  • 3000-seat stadium to be the home of the Mariners' NYL and W-League teams and seven full-sized training pitches
  • 120-room hotel and accommodation block
  • Six-storey, 8000sq m office complex
  • sports science facility that will include an indoor gym, 25m pool and hydrotherapy facilities
  • Ten multi-purpose courts
  • Licensed club that will include a 400-person capacity function centre.

"It will deliver for the community. And we can't think of any professional sporting facility like it in the country," Mariners Trust chairman Peter Turnbull told au.fourfourtwo.com

The consensus from all parties concerned - Wyong Shire Council, the Mariners board and the on-site RSL - has been heartening for the club. There are other obvious benefits in terms of attracting a core of quality youngsters to power future first teams at Bluetongue.

"We'll have the best facilities the best sports science, best coaches, best environment and we're getting tie-ups with the best educational organizations - so our whole emphasis will be on attracting the best young talent," added Turnbull.

More importantly however are the commercial possibilities from the venture. Turnbull, a successful businessman in his own right and a former state league player, said generating revenue from such a prized asset was a key part of the club's plans for its newly acquired asset.

'We believe our centre will be used by many, many professional clubs," he said.

"Obviously [other] A-League clubs will want to use it when they come up to play us from interstate and train, because the pitch will be identical to Bluetongue. In addition, there is the Asian club pre-season training season."

Japanese super-club Urawa Red Diamonds regularly train at the home of Football NSW in the west of Sydney. The J-League can be a lucrative niche market and the Mariners will look to exploit that.

"I think the Red Diamonds would be happy to come to Tuggerah and that goes the same with Korean clubs and Chinese clubs such as Chengdu Blades," said Turnbull of the Saitama-based club.

Turnbull said the key long-term is finding regular users of the facilities. Aside from the Mariners and Asian clubs the Socceroos may well use Tuggerah as a de-facto base. Then of course there is a potential World Cup in Australia and other tournaments.

"We'd also like to stage international youth tournaments like the big ones from Italy and Spain having the best U/13 and U/14 level to play and stay at our facility," he added.

"A tournament environment would be fantastic for the community and that's how the community benefits from this. And the commercial benefits from all of that, is good for the community.

"The DA was approved last week and already we're knocking back users of different facilities. English companies are interested in the five-a-side and a large medical group interested in the sports science facility."

Turnbull added: "We'll have no trouble finding the users. Once you get them, you can get the finance. So, one step at a time."